Our history

Agnès Allart, who spent 8 years exploring the world, discovered the strange practice of vermicomposting in Australia. Watching a worm eat a leftover tomato, she had an epiphany: everyone should be able to reduce their kitchen waste, and get free fertilizer to boot !

A vocation was born: to spread the word in France about the wonderful virtues of compost worms for the planet.

On her return to France, Agnès founded the association Art Bio (www.artbio.org), or how to combine art and waste recycling, by giving pride of place to our friends the worms. Since then, a number of enthusiastic artists have come together every year for the Rencontres Art Bio, to mobilize as many people as possible to the playful joys of worm composting.

Agnès's seminal article in the April issue of the French magazine Bio Contact (200,000 free copies), "Ne jetez plus, recyclez" ("Don't throw away, recycle"), led to an influx of hundreds of requests for information, including the search for suitable equipment. It was against this backdrop that Agnés, assisted by Jean-Paul, decided to found Vers la Terre from her small apartment in Pézenas, with a mission: to offer everyone the means to easily set up a high-performance vermicomposter at home.

But Agnès was saddened to learn of Mary Appelhof's death in April, which delayed the French release of the translation of her reference book "Les vers mangent mes déchets" ("Worms eat my waste").

1st TV appearance: this decisive year also saw Agnès' first TV interview on France 3, with a report by Anne-Sophie Mandroux. By all accounts, Agnès and Jean-Paul seemed a little "uptight" and shy, but the motivation was there... and the viewers' interest was growing! YOUPI!

That same year, ADEME launched its national campaign "Réduisons vite nos déchets, ça déborde!" (Let's reduce our waste fast, it's overflowing!)

Our brand-new website now features a self-help forum : enthusiasts of vermicomposting in all its forms can now share their questions and tips ! We travel all over France preaching the vermicomposting message at trade fairs and shows !

The first enthusiastic customers we met at local markets put us up on the spot. This was also the period when Thierry Sin, a Parisian training consultant, got in touch with us to help us develop the vermicomposting gesture. A little surprised, we were proudly invited by the Mairie de Paris to the 3rd Forum de la Réduction des Déchets, and to the "POLLUTEC" world environmental trade show in Lyon, thanks to the support of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, which reserved a small place for the vermicomposting machine on their magnificent stand. Grégory Prybys accompanies us and learns.

Wahoo ! Canopée magazine (50,000 copies), presents Agnès Allart as one of the "new ecological entrepreneurs"... And Vers La Terre becomes an official supplier to Nature & Découvertes. Delighted customers write to tell us they can finally find Can-O Worms near them.

1st hire and 1st shipment abroad : With vermicomposters piling up everywhere, a decisive step is taken with the hiring of our first employee. Our little friends travel to Greece for the first time with their house !

Pézenas, the first town to be equipped ! As part of the Plan National de Soutien au Compostage Domestique, the SICTOM de Pézenas-Agde (Hérault ; 100,000 inhabitants), chose Vers La Terre to equip its citizens with worm composters. This innovative initiative has shown the way to other local authorities, and requests for quotes from local authorities are starting to arrive.

Moving year : Vers La Terre moves into larger premises, so we can finally have our own worm farm on site, with a nursery, compost demonstrations... and a table to eat outside !

Thierry's Collectivité approach gets underway.

1st national training session for trainers: "How to run a meeting to get started with vermicomposters", organized in Paris : Angers Loire Métropole, Chambéry Métropole, SMIRGEOMes (Sarthe) and Grégory PRYBYS, future founder of DYN-AGRI, take part. Vers La Terre becomes a training organization.

Carbon footprint act 1 : in the interests of local production, which minimizes the need for long-distance transport and strengthens the regional economy, we decide to make our own humidification mats using a machine from the textile industry, lovingly renovated for the occasion.

Vermicomposting becomes more popular : 2 TV appearances on France 3 and TF1 contribute to popularizing vermicomposting. We begin to hear "Oh look ! The thing we saw on TV !

Price reduction objective : we obtain lower purchase prices from our suppliers, which we immediately pass on to the public.

New distributor in the north: opening of the 1st Kbane store in La Ferme du Sart (59), dedicated to sustainable housing.

Thanks to the SICTOM of Pézenas-Agde, who, by acquiring our current premises, has reinforced its involvement. School visits to the town are enriched by the discovery of our farms at the Worm Farm. Young shoots become big.

Congratulations to our young employee, Fanny DELGADO, who brilliantly obtained her BTS diploma in Management and has been hired on a permanent basis.

New local authorities: Vers La Terre wins 5th "vermicomposting" tender. After SIOM, CODAH, CAALM, CC of Yvetot region, CA d'Annecy choose Vers La Terre : 5 out of 5!

Carbon footprint act 2: comfort accessories (Le Vita'Vers Plus, successor to Vita'Vers and Mélange Chaulé) are now manufactured locally!

International in verse:  we're off to meet our Belgian friends, who are very sensitive to environmental protection, at the Aideénergie 2009 trade fair in Brussels. Vers La Terre is ISO 2007-9001 certified.

Bilan carbone act 3: we meet with plastic manufacturers (so many of whom are keen to make French boxes...). A manufacturer contacts us and we test his round box. On December 09 in Colmar, the RITTMO laboratory and ADEME organize the XIVth professional meeting: Organic waste management in an urban environment: What solutions for private individuals ? Vermicomposting is presented!

Bilan carbone act 4: thanks to the support of the CCI Béziers-Saint Pons, OSEO and the Languedoc-Roussillon Region, in partnership with the feasibility technical plan 34 and the high school Jean Moulin of Béziers, we are launching the study of an innovative vermicomposting system....

We worked with the French plastic manufacturer to finalize its round, space-saving worm composter with wheels, and even came up with a name for it. Unfortunately, technical criteria prevented us from distributing it (installation of the tap, slope of the collection tray, evacuation and collection of the liquid). Agnès will remain annoyed that the name of this object was registered immediately and without her knowledge... A period of uncertainty in supplies, the Worm Café is set to replace the Can-O-Worms, which will remain available in its 2-tray version.

Bilan carbone act 5: we're finally working with a serious manufacturer to develop a French worm composter... and a clever one at that. Scheduled for release at the end of the year.

In July, we're off to Londerzeel in Belgium to present the specific features of our training to the Comité Jean Pain.

Vermicomposting in schools: Vers La Terre takes part in the design of the prevention program "Mes déchets pour nourrir la terre" developed by the association Passerelles.info.. We're getting ready to renew our website.

Installation of a greenhouse, we are developing our vermicomposting activity. Vermicomposting is growing, more and more vermicomposters are coming onto the market (for better or for worse), and more and more stores are looking to sell them (and want to get involved in the follow-up?).

Bilan carbone act 6 : Vers La Terre presents the first worm composter made in France that works (according to our quality criteria). The Mini Worms, smaller (4x4 liters) than the Worm Café (3×14 liters), fits into smaller spaces.

At the same time, the "all-innovations" prototype is delivered to us, and we're testing it... This year has been the year of "escaped worms". Indeed, some vermicomposters have supplied Eisenia hortensis (Dendrobena veneta), which tend to run away (but are very pretty and excellent for eel fishing). We had to inform our competitors' customers so that vermicomposting would not suffer from this counter-reference. So easy vermicomposting will remain...easy!

Maryline joins the team as accounting assistant and Claude as webmaster. Michel Galano, who has been advising us from the outset, takes on the role of Financial Director. At last, the new website is up and running, and Agnès is sending us lots of warmth from the end of her vacations... The next newsletter is in preparation..

In January 2011, Yoann was hired to take charge of the site's SEO and technical maintenance. Indeed, this technology is becoming too complex for our speciality of vermicomposting ! All the more so as our community of users is growing and making increasing use of the means that technology offers. So we're also setting up a Facebook page.

It's worth noting that, back in 2004, half our contacts didn't use the Internet ! André joins us to help out, as vermicomposting is growing and we need to take even better care of our dear friends !

Maryline has also been taken on, to ensure perfect bookkeeping ; Fanny is concentrating on managing orders and local authorities, and is providing Jean-Paul with additional management support.

Bilan carbone act 7 : Vers La Terre was lucky enough to meet Cyril, a market gardener and breeder from the Drôme who is developing a vermicomposting unit on his farm. The use of vermicompost from the manure of his 3 Percherons adds another dimension to the quality and yield of his farm, in a magnificent setting ! Vers la Terre is very proud of this result, which makes a definitive stand against phytosanitary fertilizers ! Forum moderator Solange gives birth to Zoé. Welcome to the world that all Forum users are trying to make a better place for the recycling of household waste!

Bilan Carbone Act 8 : Two years ago, we met Rudy, who had developed a passion for vermicomposting. Vers La Terre helped him set up a vermiculture in Savoie, dedicated to the production of vermicompost. He teaches in schools and supplies quality worms to customers and local authorities in his area. He uses manure and occupies disused underground tunnels, where our little friends are safe! Neither extreme temperature variations nor predation !

Vers La Terre and Ets Belli improve the Mini Worms : development of a base to ensure perfect stability.

Extension of the worm farm : 150 m² more indoors and installation of a temperature-controlled nursery ; even more worms in a unique soilless process. Come and visit !

Carbon footprint act 9 : Vers La Terre specializes in vermicomposting and, by extension, composting. It helps customers with gardens to process organic and/or green waste. We offer the compost buddy.

Bilan Carbone Act 10 : Paris Region equips itself with Vers La Terre worm composters ! SYCTOM of Paris (84 municipalities including Paris, 5.7 million residents) has decided to promote composting with the support of ADEME and the Ile-de-France region. 50,000 composters will be distributed by 2014. In response to the published call for tenders, Vers La Terre entered into a worm composting partnership with Beauvais Diffusion (a Plastic Omnium subsidiary). As a result, the municipalities of SYCTOM of Paris will be able to offer Mini Worms to volunteer households !

Help vermicomposting: donate your worms to teachers near you !

Vers la Terre has been promoting vermicomposting in schools for many years.

In 2011, we decided to support the association Passerelles.info, which this fall launched a national biowaste prevention program for schools entitled "Reduce my waste, feed the Earth."

Several hundred teachers in a number of test départements will be mobilized to carry out vermicomposting activities with their pupils.

As part of the program, teachers will be using compost worms. Click on this link for more information : http://mesdechets.passerelles.info/ecole/autres-ressources/se-procurer-des-vers/.

If you would like to find out more about the program and the association Passerelles.info, please visit their website : mesdechets.passerelles.info

Always evolving.

The French borders are opening up to us ! This explains the change of entity from Vers La Terre to Vers la Terre International.

We now work with Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy. Did you think it was just border countries ? No, no, our worm composters have taken a vacation as far as New Caledonia !

Heartfelt bonds can be very strong, and Vers La Terre is proof of that ! The two management assistants have become mothers, so the succession is assured ! Phew ! We now have 3 new toddlers on board ! At the same time, we've gone from 5 to 8 employees: 2 logisticians and one of the management assistants (who left then returned).

Vers La Terre, with its 8 employees, has been able to adapt to this crisis. Between telecommuting, face-to-face work, children at home and sometimes at the company, this crisis marks a real BANG for us ! Explosion of orders.

Thanks to you, we've reached a new milestone in the company's history, and for the first time have paid our devoted boss, Jean-Paul NOURRIT!

A new vermiculturist and a sustainable development trainee joined the team on the same day ! Now that's something!

Work in progress!